


Lost and Found

by Mweir1990



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Dracula Influence/References, F/F, F/M, Family Issues, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Physical Abuse, The Iliad References, Threats of Violence, Torture, Vampires, Violence, World War II, herodotus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:02:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25991797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mweir1990/pseuds/Mweir1990
Summary: Isabella is a vampire. A red-eyed Human Blood drinking vampire. She was kidnapped, tortured and bitten by her makers, their venom runs in her veins. Now on her own and alone in the world, she ventures to find purpose. To find answers to who and what she is. Will the Volturi be able to keep her safe, show her the wonders of their existence, and change her diet? Only time and a little bit of luck will tell. There will be a few twists and turns, and maybe one crucial fact hidden in the first few chapters. This story is almost a complete AU.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Bella Swan, Aro/Sulpicia (Twilight), Athenadora/Caius (Twilight), Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Didyme/Marcus (Twilight), Edward Cullen/Tanya, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale, Jasper Hale/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

It was raining heavily in the south of France. A lone wooden house stood silently in a wheat field getting pummeled with water. One woman sat inside by the fireplace with a book in her hands. The chair she sat in was a wooden rocker and next to it was a red plush comfy one with a matching regal back. The slight movement of the rocking motion relaxed the woman sitting there but it was the bombs and gunfire that irked her.

The year was 1940 in the month of May. The Germans were taking over territory left and right, but the woman in the lone house that she built herself couldn’t be bothered with the war. As we look around her small, humble abode we see not much but a lone window, two doors (one at the front and one at the back), a shovel next to the front door, a dresser for clothes, and her two chairs in front of the fireplace.

Her unusual colored eyes flittered over the words on the page, taking in every bit of the story that she could. The woman had read this book countless times. It was one of her most prized possessions. As she looked to the almost bare bookshelf, she saw that the only other book she had was laying on its front cover.

She could hear the gunfire and tanks roll over her precious ground and grimaced at the sound. Her sharp canines biting her lower lip, she got more and more annoyed at the people encroaching on her land. Germans and Frenchmen both screamed as they were being shot with bullets and other ammunition. Try as she might, she couldn’t concentrate on the book before her. She slowly got up from her rocking chair and placed the book gently on the shelf with the other one.

"Damned human's." She growled through gritted teeth.

As stated before, normally she wouldn’t be bothered by the war; but when it came down to her reading nothing could distract her and live.

She grabbed her shovel and walked out the door moments later and into the torrential downpour. Once outside, she raced over to the nearest Panzer tank and ripped open the top with her unusual strength. The operators inside glanced up, but when they saw the teen girl above them they had no chance to react before she clawed at their jugulars, ripping out their throats. The German men clawed at their missing necks and bled out moments later. Their bodies slumped down against the controls of their mechanical vehicle and the tank turned in all sorts of directions.

The woman savored her handiwork and went on to the next poor soul. The soldiers shot and stabbed at the brunette teen but nothing seemed to kill her. Everything bounced off of her skin like it was made of steel. She placed her hands on the neck of another German and pulled at his head until it was torn clean from his shoulders. Multiple soldiers groaned and lost whatever rations they had eaten that day as they saw the carnage this one girl was making. No one got the best look at her before they perished at her hands but they could see that she was beautiful and fierce.

Her blood red eyes and long brown hair were the main features they focused on, but that would be their undoing as she gutted them one by one. No one was safe; not even the French that were fighting to protect their homeland.

She was biting the neck of one such individual when a boy about her age pointed his rifle at her forehead. His hands were shaking as he pointed the barrel at her. He could hear the woman drinking the blood of his comrade and it was all he could do to hold on to his weapon. The brunette could hear the quivering of the boy in front of her and she could also hear the fast pace of his breathing and heartbeat. With the countless amount of bodies that littered her field, her hunger was sated, for now.

Red eyes looked up into terrified blue ones and once she felt the life beneath her teeth leave it's body, she dropped the corpse to the ground and looked at the boy. She raced forward and grabbed the boy by the neck and lifted him up off of the dirt and mud. His boots hung in the air and swayed as he tried to get free of her. He clawed at the hand on his neck and begged her to left him go.

"S’il vous plaît ne me tuez pas!" The boy cried out as he kicked and clawed at her. He couldn’t die yet; not now. But as he looked into the blood red eyes beneath him, he assumed that his fate was sealed.

"Alors partez." The woman dropped the boy soldier and watched him run away from the battlefield.

Going back to the shovel she dropped by the tank, she picked up the garden tool and began to dig. She had drank her fill and now she needed to clean up her mess. With her superior speed, she dug the six foot graves and filled them with each body she had feasted from. The muscles in her arms tensed from the strain but she felt no fatigue when she was done.

Once the last grave was covered with the dirt and soil, the woman walked back to her home, washed her hands at the well outside of the house, and sat down once more with her book. She placed her hand on the cover almost reverently and smiled at the title.

_**Dracula.** _

It was her favorite book. Ever since she was a child she loved to read the pages of this supernatural story. However, the author had no idea the horror that was a real life vampire when he wrote those words. That's what the woman was; a vampire.

Isabella Marie Platt had been a vampire for the better part of two years. Ever since she turned 17. It was not an easy existence. She did not choose this path for herself, but she decided that this was how she was going to survive.

Well into the night, Isabella was still sitting on the comfy chair in front of her fireplace, only this time she read the only other book she had.

_**Mary Shelley's Frankenstein**_.

A fog came over her then. It was so thick and she couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face; nor could she hear a single sound. What was going on? Isabella thought to herself. Her senses were taken from her in an instant. She couldn’t even feel the pair of big strong arms that wrapped around her and carry her off to only the three other vampires knew where.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary isn't great but I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. Again, this is a story that has been nagging at me for a while and I will be updating as much as possible. 
> 
> I will be using a lot of foreign language in the first few chapters. I got a lot of translations from Bing Translation and Quota so bare with me. 
> 
> "Please don't kill me!" Said by French soldier.
> 
> "Then Leave" Bella's response.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So in this chapter, we find out who exactly took Bella from her cabin. We also begin to explore a little bit of her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for Physical abuse of a child in this chapter. Also ones for torture and more violence.

Once the other three vampires returned home with their cargo, Alec released the red eyed vampire from the hold of his gift. Isabella was once again graced with the full sight of a vampire. Only, she was not in the home she had built with her own two hands, she was somewhere else entirely. The room she was in now was large and white from the marble used to build this room. Bella was impressed with the craftmanship of it all. Three wooden thrones sat before her as well, but there was no one to sit in them. She felt the strong arms around her body and tried to move. Surprisingly, Bella couldn’t get free. The other two vampires other than the strongman here, were nothing but children. Twins; one with blonde hair, the other with brown hair.

Isabella looked into their eyes and found them to be a bright gold color. She didn’t exactly know what that meant, but she was sure to find out sooner or later. The brown haired boy whispered into his twin's ear and the girl ran off out of the room. She returned moments later with three older men. Two had jet black hair and the other had bleach blonde, each of the men had hair down to the middle of their backs, but they wore it differently.

The taller of the three had it wavy. The oldest of the three had it straight but wore a bit of it in a ponytail behind him. The youngest wore it straight but parted right down the middle. The eldest smiled at the sight of their guest and motioned for the burly vampire to let her go. Bella dropped to the floor feet first and shook out her now free limbs.

"Benvenuto, mia cara. Welcome to the home of the Volturi."

Where was she? Bella had never heard of the Volturi before. The brunette looked around in confusion and wondered what else she didn’t know about her new world. She knew her current appetite was that of human blood. It turned her eyes bright red. Why were their eyes gold? It was liked a deep amber color, or caramel. She was stunned.

"Who are you?" She asked genuinely curious by the three brothers that now stood before her.

The leader put a hand to his chest and bowed his head in greeting.

"I am Aro." He gestured to the taller man beside him.

"This is Marcus." Marcus also bowed his head politely.

"And the other man beside me is Caius." The blonde only crossed his arms and looked quite perturbed by the red eyed vampire.

Aro nudged his brother. "Come now Caius. There's no need to be cross with her. She is still just a baby." He stated in regards to Bella's young age. 

The blonde man only turned up his nose at his brothers response to his attitude and sat down in his throne. Isabella looked behind the three wooden chairs and saw a carving in the white marble wall. Each panel of the wall had a depiction of the three vampires in front of her. Aro was on a large horse in mighty regal armor. A sword in is right hand and the reigns of the horse in his left.

Marcus had a polearm in his right hand and a helm in his left under his arm. The Volturi coat of arms, which looked like a dragon, flying high in the wind. Caius stood with a woman in front of him. He held her close and each of the figures looked deep into each others eyes. As she took in each image, she saw that Aro was fighting other humanoid creatures while Marcus stood over their remains.

These were images of a battle; that much Bella knew.

Aro took notice of Isabella's attention at the wall and turned to look at it himself. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth remembering that time. It was one of such trauma, grief and pain. But the battle with the Romanian coven came to an end soon after that very night.

He walked down the set of four steps to where his guest now stood. The brown hair she had was down to the middle of her back. He took a small bit of it and wove his fingers through it. It was soft, but not softer than his wife's. Golden eyes bore deep into the bright blood red ones and he couldn’t read what she was thinking; not for a moment. Aro grasped her cold marble-like hand and concentrated on using his gift, but for whatever reason, nothing came to him.

Aro and his brother's have met shields before, but not a one had such a potent gift. She was blocking him in every direction. Maybe she didn’t know of her gift, maybe she didn’t trust easily, but it was imperative that he read her mind.

"Relax, my child. You are safe. You are with family." His voice was soothing and yet something scratched at the back of her mind, telling her not to open herself up to this man. "No matter what, my dear, my mother's venom runs in every vampire's blood. We are kin. You, me, and every vampire here in this room." Aro held Isabella's hand tightly yet comfortingly. She had never known a touch like this. Her own father was a bastard, a drunk, a beater. That was why she killed him. But this man in front of her, this one that she had just met, made Bella feel safe for the first time in her 20 years on this Earth.

Bella tried to relax, tried to open her mind to the elder vampire. She closed her eyes and breathed in calming breaths, in through the nose and out of her mouth. That's when she felt the steel cage around her mind unlock. It all clicked in her head and it was like she heard the barred door swing open on it's own.

Images ran through her mind. Blurry images of a woman with a sweet voice and caramel colored hair. Then they became more vivid as the years progressed. Aro closed his eyes seeing each memory that Isabella held inside of her. He was now going to see her story; from birth, to rebirth.

________________________________________________

Isabella Marie Platt was born in September 1921. The earliest memory she had was a painful one. Aro watched as a big burly man with a beard and mustache yell and scream at a six year old girl. She had spilled a glass of water on the carpet floor. The glass laid there on its side as the man, who Aro assumed was her father smack her across the face. It was so hard that the small girl passed out from the pain. She woke up hours later on the floor of the living room. The man was nowhere in sight. Bella walked up to her room and cried in her bed. She held a shaking hand to her cheek and cried until she fell asleep.

With each passing day, month, and year, whenever the girl made even the slightest mistake, it earned the wrath of her father. Aro could smell the alcohol on the man's breath whenever he was close to Isabella's face. It was hard for the elder vampire to watch. The man controlled each aspect of her life.

One day, Bella went exploring in the house. There were parts of it that even she didn’t know, but when she turned 11 years old, she found the small space above the hallway. She pulled the small rope and looked around the house for her father. The coast was clear and she walked up the stairs into the dark crawl space.

There was so much stuff in that tiny space, but a box caught her attention. She rummaged through the receptacle and found a picture that was worn from folding and age. She couldn’t make out the face of one person, but she saw their bulging stomach. The pre-teen's eyes filled to the brim with tears and a few fell moments later as she realized that this was a picture of her mother. Why else would her father Charles have it. The other woman in the photo had long hair and a sweet smile. This was probably a good time in her mother's life.

Isabella was told time and time again by her father that she had been abandoned by her mother, but there were times that she felt like he had been lying to her. There were times when she slept that she dreamed of her mother's teary smile and her hearty laugh. Bella felt the woman's gentle arms around her as they held her in a state of pure bliss.

But those dreams would soon come to an end shortly after her 17th birthday. Isabella found the courage to leave her fathers home and start a life of her own. She found her father's army rucksack and packed it full of everything she had owned. All of the clothes and stuffed animals, and the photograph she had of her mother. At first it was such a freeing experience. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder anymore waiting for his large fist to come barreling down towards her. It was on this night that she met the two figures that would change her life forever.

A sing-song voice echoed through the abandoned street. Everyone had gone to bed and it was only her out on the streets. It was a twinkling laughter that caught her attention. She held the strap of the bag tightly in her fist as she walked closer to the sound, but didn’t see anyone.

"H-hello?" Her voice rang out. She looked down an alley way and saw a brief streak of fire-red hair.

A second later she felt a chill behind her. It was an odd one and she didn’t like the feeling. Never the less, Bella turned around and saw a tall blonde man in front of her. He had blood red eyes and a menacing smile. It made her skin crawl and her blood freeze in her veins.

"Hello sweet thing." The man whispered.

He took some of her hair and brought it up to his nose. Bella felt another freezing cold presence behind her and a moment later she felt a cold hard nose against her neck. The red haired woman smelled the teen girl and moaned.

"Sweet indeed."

"You shouldn’t be out here all by your lonesome." The man said. Bella took a moment to look at his attire. He looked like a nomad; bear skinned pants and a wolf pelt over his bare chest. His skin was pale and the aura around him was cold and terrifying. Bella tried to move, but the woman behind him barred her path.

"Let me go. I-I'll scream." She stuttered. Her confidence slowly ebbing away.

"Oh my Love, we're counting on it." The woman whispered in her ear. She placed a cold hand over Bella's mouth and ran with her into the brush and forest.

In the forests of Ohio, the two nomads tortured Bella for months. They bit her to drink her blood, but not too much to kill her. They pricked at her skin with their long, sharp fingernails and broke her bones with their strong hands and feet. They kicked at her and even tore her fingernails clean from her. Isabella didn’t know how long she had been in that run down shack for. She cried, and screamed, but there was no salvation for her. No one came to save her, she didn’t die either. Over time, the teen came to know their names as James and Victoria. Countless conversations were had between the two on how to bring pain to the poor girl. There were times when the pain was so intense that she begged the two vampires to kill her; begged and pleaded and cried.

Victoria would only lick at her tears and kiss her sweetly. The redheads lips were soft, despite her cold, hard skin. The vampire would bite at her lips and suck lightly at the blood dripping from them. She would then break the kiss and place her thumb on a bloody part of Bella's face, wiping the liquid away from whatever mark or cut they had made and suck the digit into her mouth.

Moaning at the taste of the girl's blood, Victoria only said.

"I thought you liked our little games. You taste too good for me to part with you, my sweet Isabella."

James laughed at the display and they would leave the teen tied up in that little shack, go out into the forest to fuck and come back with more devious ways to bring her suffering. Her blood drained out from the small cuts and her body would hurt from the black and blue bruises all over her. When she fell asleep, she always hoped that this would be the last time her eyes would close, but it was to no avail.

One day, James drank too deeply, too long, and Bella could feel the blissful release of death wash over her, but there was something else there as well. A certain fire in her body that wouldn’t subside. It was nothing compared to the torture that the two would bring to her so she let the feeling wash over her.

Victoria heard the teen's heartbeat slow to a stop and that's when she screamed with rage and smacked the blonde hunter. It was so hard that he flew across the tiny cabin and onto the floor. She called him all sorts of names. Idiot was the most popular one. It was in this fight that they didn’t notice Bella's heart speed up and stop once more. The fire going along her body ceased and when she opened her eyes again, she could see everything. From the tiniest speck of dust, to every crack and wrinkle in the wood surrounding the room she was in.

A slight tug ripped the rope from her wrists and she was free once again. There was no discomfort from the bindings, nor any wounds inflicted from James and Victoria. The latter was above the man and was punching him in the face and body. James held up his hands to stop the blows from coming, but it did little in retrospect.

Isabella seethed at the two vampires for causing her such pain. She raced over to them and before any of them knew it, parts of their body were thrown all over the place. Bella ran out of the shack after that and found herself wanting something. Her throat burned and she scratched at it wondering why this was happening. That night, she found a sweet scent that made her mouth water. Without thinking, her body took her to the spot of such a smell and found that it lead to her hometown.

She grimaced at the sight of it and wanted nothing more than to burn it all to the ground, but Bella kept trudging onward to where her body was taking her. The worn down house met her gaze and she walked in like she was now home. Her father was no doubt in his comfy chair with beer bottles all over the floor. When she entered the threshold however, her nose picked up the ripe scent of human body odor.

She heard the deep snoring of the man in his chair and his feet laid out beneath him. In his slouched position, his feet were turned sideways and his legs were spread apart. Bella brought her own foot up and stomped down hard on Charles' ankle. The man screamed out in agony for his broken ankle. His brown eyes were everywhere looking for the culprit but found the blood red eyes of his daughter instead.

Bella laughed at his pain and stomped on the other ankle relishing the sound of the bones cracking and breaking. Tears welled in the mans eyes and he wondered what had gotten into his once fearful and timid child.

"Isabella." He ground out through his gritted teeth.

"Hey dad." She leaned down and put a hand on the back of her fathers chair. Once she was in the mans face, she couldn’t bare the smell of him. He was a pathetic piece of humanity.

"I'm not going to call you that anymore. You're nothing more than a bastard, a beater, a drunk. All my life you told me I was worthless; that I wouldn’t amount to anything." She got up from her spot in front of Charles and paced in front of the mantle, kicking any empty beer bottles that were in her way.

"You probably lied to me about my mother too." She said looking at her fingernails. They were perfect; not even a speck of dirt underneath them.

"You're nothing but a coward, one that beats his child to make him feel better about himself."

Charles was getting angry now. He was seething not only from the pain in his broken ankles but at the words coming out of that bitch's mouth. How dare she speak to him that way! She had a mouth on her, just like her mother. That bitch left him without a single word. But he found her; oh yes he did. Right after she gave birth, Charles took the baby away and told his wife that it was a still born.

His wife was delirious from the pain she was in so she had no idea that it was a lie. When he took Bella back home, he took care of her until she was old enough to fend for herself.

"Your mother was a damn whore and got what she deserved in the end anyway."

Bella roared in anger at his words and plunged her fingertips into his chest cavity. The man screamed at the pain. That made everything better to Bella and she plunged them deeper and deeper, until she could feel the beating organ.

"I always wondered if you had a heart."

Grasping her father's heart in her cold hand, Bella ripped out the life giving organ and watched as Charles's once brown eyes grown dull. His body went limp without his heart to pump the blood that held his life.

Bella shrugged and said.

"I guess you did after all."

___________________________________________________________

Aro let go of Bella's hand after seeing a little more of her past after the death of the man who called himself her father. The newborn vampire had no idea what she was and killed her way across the America's. When she had her fill of human blood there, she ran over to Europe and started a quiet life. The only things she took with her were her two books and the photograph of her unknown pregnant mother. Bella only hunted when she needed too and tried to keep her life as simple as possible.

She had torn her maker and his mate to pieces. They, who had stolen the lives of so many, finally got what they deserved. Aro could see in his vision the brutality and the monstrosity that were his red eyed brother's and sister's. The elder paced for a few moments, thinking of what to do with this one in front of him. It was true that she had killed an unprecedented amount of people in her few short years as a vampire, but she had no one to guide her, to teach her.

Aro recalled the genuine surprise in her blood red gaze when she saw their golden eyes. He watched as her eyes filled with tears that would never fall again. He saw the regret that she felt from taking so many lives just for nourishment.

He looked up to his brother's for an answer. Marcus looked indifferent, but Caius looked like he wanted blood. When he was first changed into a vampire he was much like your average newborn. Addicted to the smell and taste of human blood, but over time, the blonde became more compassionate and more entuned with the lives of others.

The royal turned slowly back to look into the teenagers eyes. She wasn’t much older than his own Jane and Alec when she had been turned. His dead heart grieved for the girl that lived through so much pain and torment in her early years on this Earth. So he did the one thing he knew was right and just in the end. Not just for Bella, but for his own coven.

Aro placed a cold, gentle hand on the girls' shoulder and smiled down at her.

"You have a place here with us, Bella."

Marcus smiled at the interaction and went down the stairs to be at Isabella's other side.

"We will teach you, little one. We will teach you the beauty and wonder of our world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the Volturi in this are OCC. Caius is kind of a teddy bear so he is triggered by any violence against humans. Didyme is also alive and I love her to death. She will be a major character in this story so I hope you appreciate her as much as I do in later chapters. 
> 
> "Benvenuto, mia cara: Welcome my dear." In Italian.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of Dad Aro in this chapter. Didyme has a strong presence as well. Aro come with news that might just shock Bella to her core. After years of hunting humans, will she be able to return home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No trigger warnings in this chapter. 
> 
> Well only if you need to be warned for mushy vampire family goodness 😉😊💖

Over time, Bella had grown fond of the coven that had taken her in. Her diet had changed rather drastically, but it seemed like the best thing to do. Her more primal side had taken pleasure in killing the humans that gave her strength and sustenance, but there was another side to her that grieved when she was finally alone again.

She met the other members of the Volturi soon after the initial meeting with the three brothers. Jane and Alec were known as the 'Witch Twins.' Alec had used his power the night she had been taken from her cabin in France. His gift took all of ones senses, touch, smell, taste, and sight; it was enough to drive a person mad. Jane's power was to inflict pain onto others with a simple look. For some reason with Bella's gift as a shield, the tiny blonde's power didn’t work on her.

Felix was another vampire who looked more like a football star. He was beefy and muscly all over. His arms and shoulders were buff and his strength was far superior than her own. Even as a newborn. Her three 'captors' had become like her siblings. With Bella being an only child, it was nice to have brothers and sisters, even if they were given to her through unconventional means. She was close with all three of them; Felix was her sparring partner, he was a fierce fighter. Jane and Alec often hunted with her than by themselves. Deer and bear had become her favorite prey and the three of them would compete on how many they would hunt before they were full. Alec had been the reigning champion before Bella had come along but he was gracious in giving up the title.

Jane and Bella would often read together in the Volturi library. It was a huge room that made up most of the compound. Aro had everything that she had desperately wanted to read. The first editions of Edgar Allen Poe's work, Herodotus, and the Iliad by Homer were some of her favorites. The father figure would come and catch the pair reading some of his oldest collection and would tell them the stories on how he procured them.

Aro was a kind and gentle man and so was his wife Sulpicia. The leader and his mate had become the parents that she never had. Aro always taught her more and more each day of things she never even knew existed. He taught her about the Romanian coven and how they almost obliterated the humans, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. There was a book in the library depicting each massacre and how no one had the strength to defend themselves.

The Volturi brothers came to aid the other species of the world and had slain most of the Romanian coven, but Vladimir and Stephan, the leaders of said coven, were still out there somewhere. He had explained that the marble carvings behind the thrones were of that last battle. The artist involved had embellished a little bit but the symbolism was still there.

Vampires in their world were immune to most things. Bullets bounced off of them, blades shattered, and the sun did nothing but make their skin shine like a thousand tiny gemstones. Everything that Bella had ever read before was a lie, or a story to romanticize their kind. They were the perfect predator and Aro had known that from the day he was turned.

Marcus, his wife Didyme, and Athenodora were also very kind and knowledgeable about everything. Caius was still a little cross with the teen given her violent past, but the two reconciled in time. Didyme was also the younger sister of Aro and was changed by the same vampire. The two siblings were changed by the first vampire. Her name was Lilith. After their parents had been killed by bandits, she had taken them in and raised them as her own. Aro was changed after a hunting accident that almost took his life. Didyme was changed after because she couldn’t imagine growing old and leaving her mother and brother behind.

Bella was astounded by everything and everyone around her. She had never known that life as a vampire could be a beautiful and wonderful thing. Each of the older vampires had seen wars of every kind, they had seen the advancements of humans and their technologies. The teenager could only imagine what her life held for her now. She had a loving family, with parents, siblings, aunts and uncles; it was everything she had ever wanted.

It was such a day however that Aro had come with news of conflict in the America's.

The year is 2004; Bella, Felix, Jane, and Alec are all training their skills in a sparring match. There are no teams and its every vamp for themselves. Bella, who had trained with Marcus and Caius over countless years had found a way to use her shield in other ways. She projected it over to her tiny blonde sister and the girl could no longer use her power to inflict pain. Alec and Felix both laughed at the small victory but Jane had other skills as well. Her small stature made it so that she had been the fastest in the coven. No one matched her speed. Not even Bella when she had first arrived.

Blows had been traded between the four individuals. It sounded like a thunderstorm in the vampire compound. Sulpicia had arrived along with Didyme and Athenodora to inform the group that they should hunt. Bella indeed felt the hunger in her stomach and the burn in her throat so as night fell, she sped out of the building and hunted her prey.

Bella had always been a messy eater when it came to human blood, but once she had grown accustomed to the animal blood and her eyes grew to that lovely shade of gold, she had come to respect the hunt of such graceful and powerful beasts. Sulpicia had trained her to not need to feed on large amounts of blood. The woman's self control when it came to the stuff was second to none. The girl now only needed a few pulls of blood before her hunger had been sated.

After her hunt, she laid in the tall over grown wheat field that was close to the Volturi compound. She looked up at the night sky and found a full moon encased by stars staring down at her. The face of the moon looked down at Bella and she put her hands behind her head to cushion it.

If she were honest with herself, Isabella Volturi had taken her vampire family's name, but she often found herself looking at the worn photo of her mother. Turning it countless times when she was a little girl, she saw the written inscription on the back. The Platt girls. Now-even with her vampire eyes-she couldn’t make out the pregnant woman's features, but she felt a kinship with her. It was a pull that she didn’t understand. Bella looked up at the sky and wondered if her mother was looking down on her right now. She felt that the woman's face was that of the moon and began to talk to it.

"I wish I had known you." She sighed.

This had become a ritual for the vampire teenager. Her golden eyes peering up at the starry night sky. It was a relaxing tactic that she now did very often. Her aunt Didyme's gift was to bring the feeling of joy to others. When Bella had felt depressed from the memories she held within her she would often go to the other woman and talk with her about them. Didyme just let her vent and used her gift to bring a smile to her gentle face.

The other woman then talked to her about other ways to relieve herself of stress. When Bella found this one spot in the field, that was far enough away from the city of Volterra, away from the prying eyes of humans, this was what she had chosen.

"The only thing I can remember is your smile, and your laughter." Tears welled up in the girls eyes but she found a long time ago that the relief of crying would never come again.

After all of these years of being a vampire, 66 to be exact, she had still wondered at the meaning of her father's last words.

_"Your mother was a damn whore and she got what she deserved."_

It was an awful thing to say about someone you had once loved. The whole 'she got what she deserved' part threw her for a loop however. What did that mean? Was she dead? Did she live a horrible life somewhere without her? Bella didn’t know either way. She had dwelled on it for a long time before she had met her new family.

They had given Isabella a sense of peace and clarity.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the wheat growing around her before getting up off of the ground. Brushing herself off, she heard a slight voice on the wind. It was her father Aro's voice echoing towards her.

"Bella, my darling. I need to speak with you."

The vampire teen smiled and raced back to the compound in the dead of night. Arriving home within moments, Bella skidded to a halt. The jeans she had worn that night were now all torn from her speeding back through the field. Her leather jacket was in prime condition and her white shirt had a few drops of animal blood on it from her prior hunt.

"What's up, dad?" Bella asked as she picked at the tiny holes in the sides of her jeans.

Aro smiled at his child and reminisced on how she had grown into a beautiful vampire. With his superior height, he leaned down and pressed his lips to his daughter's forehead.

"Go and change. I'll get your siblings together and we'll have a family meeting soon." His soothing voice washed over her and she smiled at the man before hugging him around the waist.

Once she separated from the man, she walked inside to find her mother, aunts and uncles standing in front of the large staircase. Sulpicia wrapped her arms around Bella's shoulders and hugged her tightly. The teen smiled into the embrace and it lasted a long moment. She loved Sulpicia's hugs. Bella just loved hugs in general.

When she was human, she shied away from most touches; convinced that other people would hurt her in some way, but after the many years with the Volturi family, Bella couldn’t get enough of hugs from her parents and siblings.

After each embrace from her family, Bella rushed up to her bedroom to find something to change into. Once she took off her white t-shirt she turned it around and saw the little specks of blood her father no doubt saw. If she could blush, she would only because she was taught not to be a messy eater when it came to her animal blood. She found an old shirt with one of her favorite rock bands and put it on. It hugged Bella in all of the right places and she left the torn jeans she currently had on.

Walking down the stairs at a human pace, she saw her brothers and sister at the bottom step. Bella smiled and wove one arm around Jane's shoulder.

"Hey Janie Jane." She brought her sister's head down to her stomach and rubbed her knuckles across the blonde's scalp.

Jane growled slightly in annoyance and tired to get away from her little sister's hold, but it was to no avail. Bella gave her a noogie that she would most likely feel in the morning. Felix and Alec looked on with sincere smiles on their faces. Demetri and Heather stood by the throne room doors and the five of them entered with purpose. Bella released her hold on Jane and the tiny blonde smoothed her hair back into place.

It was rare for their father and uncles to call a meeting of this caliber. When they did, it was often to report some conflict of red eyed vampires in the area causing trouble. Nomads would often bring the human death count up in their need for blood. It was Bella's job as well as her siblings to bring such criminals to justice.

Once captured, the red eyed vampires would either forgo their way of killing or be executed by Aro himself. Jane would also assist in the executions and there were times when Bella looked at her sister and saw a glint of pleasure in her eye at bringing the pain to their prisoners. It was during one of these times when Bella finally understood how to end a vampires life. First, their bodies were torn apart; mostly the arms, then the legs, and last the head. Second, their parts were set aflame. The teens bright gold eyes widened at the new piece of information, for she had torn her maker and his mate apart, but failed to set them on fire. Were they still around, killing and draining human beings where ever they went?

Each of the vampire guard stood in front of their lord father, his brothers and their wives. Aro took in his daughters appearance and rolled his eyes at the dark colored t-shirt she had chosen. He loved Bella greatly, but her taste in music left something to be desired.

Felix, who was next to her, nudged her with his bulky elbow. She was currently picking her teeth with a credit card Aro and Sulpicia had given her for some spending money. The Volturi were not only vampires, but they had a hand in every business venture known to man. They had stocks in everything and over the years, they had accumulated a massive amount of money; hence the large compound and expansive library collection.

Bella's attention left whatever was in her teeth as she turned her eyes to her father. Aro had a raised eyebrow and a serious face on. So she put her hands behind her back and lightly shrugged her shoulders. Aro cleared his throat and addressed his children.

"There have been reports of a large amount of newborn vampires being created in the America's. No one is sure on who is killing these people and turning them into one of us, but the human population is declining considerably in certain areas of the west coast of the continent." He paused to gauge Bella's reaction to the news.

The teen hadn't been back there for some time. All of the more recent red eyed vamp attacks have been in Europe; most likely connected to the Romanian coven. Could their enemies have expanded their territory? Aro wasn’t sure, all he understood from the telephone call was that there was a newborn army in their midst.

Bella's eyes widened at the news. She couldn’t imagine actually going back to where she grew up and rampaged across the land killing any human in sight. Sure she had changed her ways for the better, but there were still memories that haunted her, as well as the ghosts of her victims. The girl wasn’t sure of what to do with this information, but she was part of the Volturi Guard; raised and trained to handle any obstacle that stood before her. She would overcome this, she had too. So Bella regained her composure and listened to whatever else Aro had to say.

"We have multiple contacts in the state of Washington. We also have a certain advantage; of which you will be informed of when you arrive." He turned to his children and went to Bella's group.

"Bella, Alec, Jane, and Felix will go to the contact in Washington. Heather, Chelsea, and Demetri will go to our friends in Alaska. Each group will be assigned recon and will blend in with the rules and regulations each coven has placed. Each of you will also contact your mother and I of your arrival." Aro grasped Sulpicia's hand and wove their fingers tightly together.

From the call made my their seer contact, this would be the start of a newborn war. Aro was sure of it. He had desperately hoped that each of them were up to the task of finding the cause as well as putting a stop to it.

The royal and his wife both sighed and held their arms out to embrace their children. Bella raced forward first, upon seeing the concern in her father's eyes. The other's followed suit and a group hug had ensued. Bella knew there was more to the news Aro had told them, but she knew better than to pry. Maybe she could talk with her mother or her aunt before they had left. There were also her own concerns about leaving that she needed to talk to Didyme about. Surely the woman would be able to make her feel a little bit better, it was her gift after all.

After the meeting was adjourned, Bella went upstairs to pack whatever she needed for her trip. She heard a knock on her open door and found Didyme standing in the threshold. Bella went over to the woman instantly and hugged her tightly. Thankfully her aunt was also a vampire so she could hug her as tightly as she wanted.

"Aunt Deedee, I'm terrified." Deedee had been the name that Bella had used to address the older woman in times of emotional distress.

She could feel her eyes well up as she put her face in the crook of her aunts' neck. It was hard to say goodbye, but leaving for America was the scariest thing she ever had to do. Bella had caused so much pain there; she could still hear the screams of people when she laid down reading a book or writing in her journal.

Didyme just placed her hand on the back of Bella's head and stroked her hair. As much as she wanted to use her gift to ease her niece's fears, this was a great learning tool for the girl. Bella needed to learn what it was like to return to a place of great pain so her heart could heal. Didyme knew that the place held great sorrow for her. It was where she was beaten by her birth father; kidnapped, tortured and killed by vampires; and it was also where she had killed her abuser and other humans. She knew that this would be a great challenge for the teen that held so much inside of her.

"You will be fine, louloudi mou." She brought her hand up and across Bella's cheek. The term of endearment came from Didyme and Aro's homeland of Greece. The teen loved it when her aunt spoke to her in her native tongue, and the woman would also tell her what each meant. Louloudi Mou meant My Flower in Greek.

"You are strong, my Bella. You have grown into a powerful, beautiful person, and no one here faults you for your past. You needed someone to guide you, to teach you, just as we were all taught. I grieve for the fact that you were not changed out of love, but out of pain and terror." Tears welled in Didyme's golden eyes now and it was more than the woman could bare.

She sniffled lightly.

"This will be your chance to heal, to grow, to forgive yourself." She knew of her niece's regrets and the ghosts that she saw and heard when she was alone at night. It was like a waking nightmare for a vampire since they didn’t sleep.

Aro, who had been standing against the wall just outside Bella's room spoke up.

"You're aunt is right, Glika Mou."

He moved into the threshold next to his sister.

"I didn’t just assign this to you because you are one of our best and brightest, but because your heart needs to mend itself from years of grief and pain." Aro also wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulder and held her to him.

In truth, the lord had hoped that over the years, he had become the father that Bella had wanted and deserved. From his vision so long ago when he held his daughters hand, it was all he could do to hold his rage back at the drunken man that called himself 'father'. For crying out loud, Aro was a damned vampire and even he could see that what Charles Evenson had did was wrong. He taught her everything she needed to know about being a vampire; done everything he could to make her feel loved and safe here with them. Now it was up to Bella to heal the rest of the way.

"I'll miss you dad." Bella dry sobbed into the man's coat, waiting for whatever came next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Aunt Deedee" is something I came up with a few minutes into thinking about the structure of this chapter. Newborn Army is the whole premise of this story. Think Eclipse, but in this, Bella is currently a vampire and not afraid to fight some vamps.
> 
> Louloudi Mou: My Flower in Greek  
> Glika Mou: My Gold in Greek.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we meet our favorite vampire family.

Millions of miles away in the small town of Forks, Washington, a caramel haired woman with pale skin and golden eyes, put the eraser end of a pencil between her teeth. She smiled as she went over the blueprints for the addition to her family home. It was an overcast day, much like every other day here in the gloomy state, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Esme Cullen prided herself in the work she had done to the house, as well as the gardens and other small adjustments she had made to the designs. When she heard the crashing sound of glass breaking however, she went to investigate. What the woman found made her blood run cold. Her adoptive daughter Alice, was in the midst of a vision. The small vampire had many of those recently. Over the many weeks, she had seen more than her fair share of nightmarish things. A newborn army tearing and killing its way across the country was one of them.

Alice Cullen was a vampire that possessed the gift of subjective precognition. What that meant was, she had visions based on the decisions people had made. When Esme had met the young girl, she was fascinated by her gift. The pixie had told them that she had met them all before. In dreams, visions, that she'd had over the years. Alice was once a human girl going by the name of Mary Alice and possessed the same great gift, but she was put in an asylum when she was 19 years old.

Esme would often think about the father that put Alice there and was thankful the man was long dead. Her adopted daughter had also undergone electroshock therapy before she was turned at the asylum. She couldn’t remember her human life after all of that and Esme believed that was the silver lining of it all.

Once Alice came out of her vision, she relaxed instantly before turning her golden eyes to the broken vase on the floor.

"Oh my gosh Esme. I'm so sorry!" Alice moved to pick up the glass shards and the flowers off of the floor.

Esme ran over to get a broom and dustpan before crouching down to Alice's level and looking her in the eye.

"It's alright, Alice." She said with a kind smile.

Esme Cullen was the mother that held their blended family together. Her adopted children were enough to fill any woman's heart with love and affection. Each of them had their own quirks and personalities that set them apart. Alice was the bubbly, happy go lucky ballerina that didn’t have a mean bone in her body.

She looked at Alice for a long moment, briefly thinking of her own baby she had lost when she had been human. The woman was so excited to be a mother. She carried that life inside of her and waited with anticipation for the baby to arrive; but her little girl wouldn’t see the light of day. Her ex-husband and nurses had taken her child away before she could even give her a proper goodbye; the bastard. He had told her that her tiny baby had been stillborn; and that it was all her fault for running away. Overcome with grief and despair, a couple of day later, Esme threw herself from a cliff. She survived but she had suffered some internal bleeding; that's when Carlisle had changed her into a vampire. It lead to many more years of happiness, and adopted children that she had considered her own. But nothing would be able to replace her little baby girl. Her little Bean.

Alice tilted her head to the side, wondering what the woman was thinking about. Esme blinked, coming back to the present. There was no use thinking about the past. It only made her feel awful. She felt a wave of calm and happiness wash over her and she looked to her blonde adopted son Jasper. The empath had the ability to sense and manipulate emotions. There were times in the woman's life when she could've used such a gift.

"Thank you, Jasper." Esme whispered to the boy sitting in the sun room, reading a book.

Jasper nodded, his curly dark blonde hair shifting with the movement. His mate Eloise sat beside him and held his hand loosely. She was a dark haired girl with a sophisticated look to her. The shape of her face was angular and her cheek bones protruded slightly but that only meant that there was a definition to her face. She had the ability to produce fire from her fingertips. It was a useful power when it came to disposing of enemy vampires that intruded on their land. Eloise was slightly older than her husband and they had met during the Southern Vampire War.

"What did you see Alice?"

Esme asked concerned about her daughter's previous state.

"Oh! Our guests should be arriving soon."

A couple of weeks had passed since Alice had the initial vision of the newborn army. The pixie had hoped that whoever was responsible for such an army would change their mind about the whole thing and give it up, but hoping was the only thing she could do. All of which were soon dashed when she had another vision of death and destruction days later. The vision was so intense and so violent that Alice had screamed when she came out of it. Her brother Edward was the first to come and comfort her.

Another boy, the size of a giant bear rushes into the living room with a baseball bat and a mitt on the end of it. He threw a small baseball up into the air and caught it with a smile on his face.

"What's all this Emmett?" Esme asked politely.

"Alice told me that it was going to rain in town today. I heard thunder in the distance not too long ago too."

Alice smiled at the memory and looked to her mother for permission to go and play some baseball. Vampires could only play during a thunder storm because of their strength when they hit the small orb. It literally sounded like a thunderclap. Alice and her mother looked outside to the cars and saw the other six members of their family ready to make the trip to their favorite spot to play.

Two blonde beauties sat in a Jeep with large tires and an open hatch. One such blonde stood and held onto the cross bar for balance.

"C'mon babe! Let's go!" She yelled at her mate.

"I'm just getting mom, Rose. Chill!" Emmett chuckled before returning his gaze to his mother and sister.

Jasper and his mate got up from their spots as well; ready for the opportunity. Even Carlisle was home from his shift at the hospital he worked at and was currently changed into his baseball attire. Esme looked at her husband and mate with loving eyes and a moment later she raced up the stairs to change her own clothes.

Jasper and Eloise left on an ATV with the woman at the helm and Jasper behind her. Emmett raced to his Jeep and turned the key in the ignition. Edward, Alice, Esme and Carlisle all opted to run to the field. Not wanting to waist anymore gas in their vehicles.

Each group had arrived moments after they had left the house. Emmett threw the ball over his shoulder to Alice and she was the pitcher. Esme was the catcher and her husband was currently batting. Carlisle looked to his daughter and was awaiting her pitch. Alice rolled the baseball in her hand behind her back, searching for the perfect position for the ball to be in when she threw it. 

A light smile crept onto her face as she fixed her pose and brought her leg up high. When she threw, Carlisle swung and hit the ball over the large tree line. Edward watched the ball fly up and over his head. Racing to where it might lead, Carlisle took the opportunity to run the mile it took to reach Rosalie at Jasper at first base. His foot touched the bag that was placed there and kept running to second base where Edward was supposed to be standing.

The bronze haired boy found the ball in some upturned roots and threw it with all of his strength toward home base where Esme stood, waiting. The mother held out her hands as the baseball came into her open hands. Carlisle slid into home just as her hands came down and touched his leg.

"Out!" Alice called out from the pitcher's mound. Her sight had been superior to the others in her family and she saw that Esme was slightly faster than Carlisle. The blonde man smiled at his wife and kissed her sweetly on the lips before getting off of the ground.

Eloise was up next to bat and she scored for her team. Hitting it so it soared above Emmett's head. The bulky teenage boy wasn’t fast enough to reach the ball before it hit the ground, which gave the fire-starter ample time to make it around the makeshift diamond. Emmett groaned as he watched his sister-in-law's foot hit the bag at home base.

Rosalie's turn was after that. The first time she hit the ball it popped up into the air above her in a fowl ball, but the second hit soared once again over Edward's head. He ran over to where he thought it might land, but someone else had caught their ball.

It was a girl with long brown hair, a heart shaped face and golden eyes just like his own.

" 'Sup?" Bella jerked her head up in greeting. Her shoulder moved as well rustling the rucksack over it.

"Stop!" Each of the vampires in the forest stopped what they were doing and listened to the voice coming from outside the tree line.

Bella saw dark clouds in the distance but followed the voice none the less. Her siblings stepped forward also making their way out of the lush trees. The four Volturi vampires made their way out to the field with Edward not far behind. His expression was one of surprise. Alice wasn’t expecting them for another couple of days. They were ahead of schedule.

The teenager was the first to see the family of vampires at their positions of the makeshift diamond. It was a little crooked, but endearing none the less.

Alice smiled at the new arrivals. She and Carlisle ran up to the foursome and greeted them.

"You must be Isabella. I'm Alice." The pixie held out her hand for the brunette to take.

She smiled and shook Alice's hand gracefully.

"It looks like our arrival was expected." Bella chuckled.

"Of course." Carlisle spoke and put his hand on Alice's shoulder.

"My daughter is a seer. She had a premonition of your arrival, but it's safe to say that you are a little early."

Bella looked around at the other members of the coven and remembered her father's words. This must have been the 'advantage' he was talking about. Bella was amazed by this, she had never met a seer before.

"Come, I will introduce you to the rest of my family." Carlisle said with a soft, kind smile.

The teen smiled back and threw the baseball over her shoulder, Edward catching it effortlessly.

As Carlisle, Alice, and the Volturi children stepped out onto the makeshift baseball field. Bella immediately felt the gaze of all of the Cullen's. Alice in front of her made the introductions, Rosalie was first. The icy blonde only nodded her head in greeting. Then she pointed to Edward who was still behind the group of four. It turned out that he was a telepath. His gift worked similar to her father's but he didn’t need to touch anyone to get a reading.

The wavy haired blonde running up to them was his mate Tanya. Bella could tell that she was older than she appeared to be. A certain aura around the woman gave the teen that feeling. She was more refined and carried herself with more regality than the others.

Alice then waved Emmett over and he immediately taken a liking to Bella and her brother Felix. The brawny Cullen looked very much like him and Emmett had challenged Felix to a wrestling match when they got back to the house. Turning his copper eyes to Bella, he smiled and hugged her, picking her up off of the ground.

"It's nice to meet you princess."

"You've met my siblings before, then." She said once her feet were back on the ground.

Emmett and all of the Cullen children nodded their heads, saying that it had been a custom to meet the Volturi guard and Royals when they joined the coven. Jasper and Eloise were next on the introduction list. Bella was intrigued by their gifts. The blonde boy had an ability much like her aunt's and Eloise was able to create fire. The strength of said fire depended on her mood and mental state. Jasper was the perfect gentleman when he introduced himself; even kissed Bella's pale hand when they shook hands.

Then, finally, it was Esme's turn. Carlisle went over to his wife and wrapped a gentle arm around the woman's shoulders.

"This is my wife and mate, Esme. She is the glue that holds our family together."

Esme giggled and held out her hand for Bella to take. The sound coming from her lips sounded very familiar to the girl's ears. She looked down at the outstretched hand and grasped it firmly. The cold feeling of the vampires skin was nothing new to her, but something about Esme felt different. Bella felt collected and safe. She had always been shy upon meeting others but meeting Esme and her family was like nothing she'd ever felt before.

"Have we met before?" Isabella asked the caramel haired woman.

Esme seemed to think about it for a moment, but shook her head from side to side.

"I don’t believe so dear."

Bella 'huh'ed and went off to pick up the baseball bat lying on the ground.

"Got room for a few more players."

Alice giggled.

"Oh hell yeah."

She and Emmett echoed at once. Bella set down her rucksack and tapped home base with the tip of the bat. Her eyes set on the pixie pitcher, all of the vampires in attendance took their places.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter, things start to get a little interesting. I love how I wrote Bella here. Big Dumb Jock Energy 😉💖😊


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we have some interactions between the Volturi children and the Cullen's. This chapter is mostly filler, but you get the idea.

The sky began to clear after a few more runs of the game. The thunder was receding and the vampires all pack up their things before heading back to the house. Alice, Esme, and Carlisle had all escorted the Volturi children back to their home. Bella looked up at the house and her mouth had dropped. Sure she had lived in one of the most spacious and regal homes in all of Europe, but short of that, no other house stood up to the magnificence of this one. It seemed like a purely glass house with windows as outside walls. She and her siblings could see well into the structure and was thankful that the Cullen's lived far away from any prying eyes.

Alice smiled at their reactions and grabbed Bella's hand. The teen turned her attention to the pixie next to her. The shorter girl smiled brightly at her and it was all Bella could do not to go weak in the knees. Alice was beautiful; and then, as if by some magic, a ray of sun, shined down on the small Cullen. Her skin shined like diamonds and even though she had seen this with her own skin, Bella couldn’t help but reach out and touch Alice's face with her fingertips.

"You're kinda new at this, huh?" It wasn’t a question but more of a statement.

Confused, Bella tilted her head to the side, wondering what she had meant by that. The pixie didn’t elaborate any further, but she grasped both hands and all but dragged Bella into the house. The rucksack she'd had over her shoulder dropped to the floor, but Felix picked it up and carried it with his own.

The three remaining Volturi looked at one another and smiled, all thinking the same thing.

Alice walked with the princess through the house, showing her every room until she reached her own.

"You'll be rooming with me while you're here." Her hand slowly fell from Bella's and the teen was instantly saddened by the loss. She brought her other hand up to her forehead to rub it. She was so confused as to what was going on, what she was feeling. It seemed as if her heart had started again upon seeing Alice.

The Cullen girl then opened the bedroom door and Bella was surprised by what she saw. The pixie's room was painted a bright yellow with white doors for her closet. There was a bed, a desk, an easel, and a music stand. Upon further inspection of the room, a giant walk-in closet was by the window on the far side wall. Alice had so much clothes; so many tops in bright, cheerful colors. Bella almost seemed embarrassed by most of her attire by comparison. Her clothes were mostly black or dark, dark grey, with heavy metal or rock bands plastered on the front of them.

She briefly wondered where her bag had gone to, but Felix had arrived and dropped it by her feet before rushing off to the promised wrestling match with Emmett.

Hearing her big brother lumber off outside, Bella was about to bend down and pick up her bag, but another pair of tiny hands beat her to it. She looked up at the matching pair of golden eyes and breathed in through her nose to calm herself. Alice was so close to her now. Bella could smell the scent of vanilla and honey wafting around the room. Was it some type of candle the pixie had lit, or was it Alice herself?

The two girls stared at each other for a few moments before Alice got up with the full rucksack. Going over to the side of the room where the window was placed, she sat it down on the windowsill and turned to her guest.

"I'll let you get unpacked. Hopefully the boys will wait until you're done to prove their point on who's stronger." Alice giggled and left the room.

Bella watched her leave; unable to take her eyes off of her for a second. A breeze from the open window tussled her hair and that sort of shook her out of any thoughts she might have been thinking. The teen then went over to her bag and began to unpack it. There on the top was the framed photograph that shaped her life.

Picking it up with shaking hands, she went over to the four poster bed and sat at the foot of it. Finding the very pregnant belly of her mother, she swiped her thumb over it.

"Never thought I'd be back here." Bella thought. North America came with baggage for the young vampire but her father and aunt said that it would be good to come back so that she could finally heal; finally begin to forgive herself for her past.

Hearing a knock at the door, the princess snapped to attention. At the threshold was Esme Cullen. A kind smile was etched on her face and it made Bella remember the smiles of her family. She missed her father, mother, uncles and aunts greatly. She had hoped that this mission would go smoothly and quickly so that they could go home.

"Are you getting settled in alright Isabella?"

The teen put the photograph face down onto the comforter so that it was unseen by prying eyes. She had nothing against the Cullen woman, but her trust was earned; not given freely. Bella nodded and got up to go to the windowsill to unpack some more.

"We're very grateful to have you and your siblings here, princess. The visions plaguing my daughter, have taken quite a toll on her. Hopefully with this coming school year, she can concentrate on other things." Coming into the room, Esme sat on the bed where Bella herself sat mere moments ago.

The teens golden eyes searched the room and saw a desk made for doing school work on the opposite wall from the bed. Groaning lightly, she knew that she didn’t want to go back to school. Sure she had done so when she was human to get away from her father, but after she was turned and joined the Volturi, her education was provided by her father and uncles.

"Do your children do this every year?" Bella asked not taking her eyes from the task at hand. She tried to sound civil about the whole thing, but Bella knew that her voice sounded like that of a spoiled brat.

Esme didn’t seem to notice however and just provided an answer.

"Most certainly. It's the persona we keep among the humans. My husband believes it keeps us humble."

Curious by this Carlisle Cullen, Bella went over to the woman and sat down in front of her on the chair by the desk. The bleach blonde man was somewhat of a legend around the Volturi compound. When he was changed into a vampire, he killed not one human. Sure the possibility of him driving absolutely insane was very high, but Carlisle had abstained himself with great control.

"Mr. Cullen is a doctor, correct?"

Esme smiled and nodded her head, cheered by the curious nature of this child.

"Yes he is. He is one of the best in fact. He's never one to boast about his ability however and he is a very kind and gentle man." The woman reminisced about how she had met him all of those years ago when she was only 16.

"Don't let him hear you call him Mr. Cullen though. When you're family it's just Carlisle. Mr. Cullen makes him feel like an old man."

Bella chuckled and said.

"My father is much the same way then. He is one of the first vampires in existence, but he doesn’t like to be remembered of his age."

The two women shared a laugh for a few moments before Esme got up from the bed cushion. She went to tap Bella's knee, but the girl shied away from her. Her golden eyes tinged with confusion, and Bella quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry. It's a reflex."

Esme thought about the abuse she had received from her first husband and understood completely. When she ran away from him, fully pregnant, she didn’t like strangers touching her either. The woman had believed that everyone was out to get her and that every touch was going to be a violent one. So she just nodded her head and began to walk out the door.

Once at the open doorway, Esme turned back around and looked into Bella's caramel, amber eyes.

"For what it's worth, Your Highness, I know how you feel."

Bella wasn’t one to stand on ceremony so once the woman began to walk down the stairs, she uttered.

"Call me Bella." The look on her face when she looked down at the floor was one that had matched Esme's once upon a time.

The mother walked back into the room and held out her hand. Bella looked up and saw a kind smile looking down at her.

"It's nice to meet you Bella."

The teen smiled crookedly and grasped Esme's hand.

______________________________

When the two reached the bottom of the stairs, they heard all sorts of commotion from the backyard. Tree trunks cracking, skin smashing, and bodies colliding were some of the few things. Bella walked out of the sliding glass door and watched as her brother and Emmett proceeded in their match of strength. She stood in between Alec and Jane and watched as the two seemed to be equally matched. Crossing her arms she watched the Cullen boys technique, it looked a bit unpolished but otherwise she didn’t see any flaws.

"Wanna place a bet?" Alec asked as his sister took her spot between him and his twin.

Bella put a hand to her chin, thinking about whether or not that was a good idea.

"Nah, not today, because one; I have no cash on me. Two; I just came down to take a peak at what these newborns might have to contend with." She smiled as Emmett lifted Felix above his head and threw him high up into the air.

With his experience however, her brother just maneuvered his body so that he landed feet first. Believe it or not Felix trained himself to be much like a cat who always landed on his feet. Emmett saw the man dropping down at an accelerated rate and jumped out of the way. He rolled up into a crouching position, but was tackled soon later. Bella looked at the spot where her brother had landed and saw the small crater he left.

"C'mon Felix, try not to make such a mess. We are guests here after all." She called out.

She could feel other eyes on her and looked across the field where the rest of the Cullen's stood. The pixie was watching her, that much was certain, but why? It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling, but a confusing one. Each time the matching copper eyes met, Bella would be the first to look away; feeling guilty for being caught staring.

Bella could see that this wrestling match was coming to an end. Felix kneed Emmett in the gut and the Cullen boy bent over from the blow. In his unprotected position, it left Emmett completely open to Felix's clenched hands coming down onto his back. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding until the wind was literally knock out of him. The princess smiled and knew that this was the last time Emmett would be thrown to the ground. His face and body were covered in cracks as he laid there in the dirt.

Felix was a good sport however and when Emmett turned onto his back, he held out a hand for him to take.

"You had me worried there for a minute, brother." The Volturi said with a cheeky smile.

"I honestly thought I had you a couple of times." Emmett said rubbing the back of his head. He grasped Felix's hand in an instant and was lifted to his feet.

As both groups began to disperse, Bella could see the exchanging of large bills between the Cullen's and her siblings.

"Jeeze guys, really?" She exclaimed.

Alec and Jane merely shrugged their shoulders and pocketed the money that was given to them. Alice smiled and all but skipped over to Bella quickly asking her if they could practice next. There was something in Esme's voice however when she protested.

"You have school tomorrow, my darling. It would be better if you just prepared for the coming school year." Esme had no idea why she sounded like she did toward Alice. There was a sense of protection in her voice when it came down to it, but there was no reason for her to sound so tense.

Both girls were also confused at the woman's tone of voice but didn't question it as they walked inside. Maybe it was because they were guests in their household; maybe Alice never let go of Bella's hand however and the two walked hand in hand into the living room.

"If we can't practice, why don’t we do a little shopping instead." The pixie asked hopefully.

The Volturi girl groaned on the inside. She hated shopping with a passion. Jane, Chelsea, and Heather would have to literally drag her out of the compound to go to the malls and shops in Rome. The ride was _supposed_ to take about three hours one way, but with a vampires natural need for speed, it took them half that. Bella remembered the day she had found a RUSH shirt at a record store in the area. She was a huge fan and bought the tee on the spot.

Jane seemed definitely up for the trip and so did Alice's other siblings. The Felix and Alec both snickered at their sisters dismay, but as her dangerous golden eyes met their faces, they clamed up. Jasper went to their rescue and placed an arm around Alec's shoulder.

"That sounds great Alice. It'd give us boys some time to get to know each other."

The pixie clapped her hands and jumped up and down many times before running to the garage to get her car. Eloise, Tanya, and Rosalie followed suit with Bella and Jane bringing up the rear.

_"How does she have this much energy?"_ Bella had thought to herself.

Walking past Esme and Carlisle, she looked at how happy the couple were. Much like Bella's own vampire parents. She took her phone from her back pocket and made a group text with Aro and Sulpicia.

B: Got here safe and sound. The Cullen's are great; remind me a lot of you guys actually.

Before she could place the object back in her pocket, she felt the buzz of a reply.

A: I thought that you would like them. The Cullen's are a very kind family. Carlisle is a very dear friend to us.

S: Now dear, don’t get all mushy about him. I'm going to get jealous.

Bella chuckled at her mother's response and finally put the phone back in her jeans pocket.

The two Volturi girls followed Rosalie to the garage where the other's were waiting. Bella was impressed at the array of vehicles they had to choose from. There were even a few motorcycles by the wall, not to mention, an ATV.

Alice skipped over to a bright yellow Porsche Turbo. Bella whistled at the car of choice for the tiny vampire.

"You sure you can handle this thing?" She said as a joke.

"Oh dear Bella, I can handle a lot more than a car." Alice said with a wink.

The princess felt her mouth go completely dry. Her eyes darkened as she went over to the passenger side door of the car. She opened the door and got in gracefully before putting on her seatbelt. Sure, vampires didn’t really need the safety net, but the constant dinging that the cars dashboard system would make was too much. Thankfully there was enough time in the day to go to the mall that was in Seattle. It was the biggest in the state and therefore had many more options.

The garage door opened soon after each vampire got into their places. Jane wanted to ride with her sister but saw that the two-seater car was all booked. She turned to Rosalie's red BMW convertible and saw Eloise and Tanya also present.

"Come on you little ankle-biter." Rosalie spoke out of jest. Jane just huffed and got in the back seat with Jasper's mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mama Esme in the house. Why does she feel so protective of Bella? Could her maternal instincts be kicking in with this 'newcomer'?


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of that Sunday went by fairly quickly for the family of vampires and their guests. Bella did detest shopping but dealt with it because it looked like her brothers and sister were having great fun. People that walked by them had asked the new comers if they were models because of their beauty. Bella chalked it up to human curiosity but didn’t answer the silly question any way. Alice Cullen seemed to be attached to the young Volturi's hip the whole time though. The cheerful pixie vampire had wove her arm through Bella's while the latter's hands were in her pockets.

At first Bella did seem surprised but shook it off. Alice was just being a good host, that’s all; but the way her siblings seemed to keep smiling at the pair made her seem a little odd. Was there something going on that they weren't telling her?

After their trip to the Seattle mall, they went back to the small town and hunted before the following day. Bella wanted to be full by the time she went so that there were no incidents at the school. Her self-control when it came to human blood was almost perfect now, but it would be the first time, in a long time, that she was surrounded by a large group of humans. Jasper and Rosalie tagged along with Bella while she hunted her prey. When she found the large buck by the small river bank, she pounced on him quickly. She did not drain him however; Bella only took a few pulls of blood before letting the creature go.

The two blondes that had accompanied her were shocked at the display.

"I was trained by my Aunt Didyme not to kill my prey."

Bella stated as a matter of fact. Upon further inspection of the brunette, Jaspers eyes widened as he said.

"You're like me."

She tilted her head to the side in confusion. What did the empath mean that she was like him? Pulling his shirt sleeve up, it became more apparent that they were alike in many ways. The half moon scars all up and down Jasper's arms were proof enough. Bella's scars ran much deeper however and she made a move to cover up a few that were on her neck, but Rosalie stopped her.

"How many?" She asked.

Bella became more self conscious as they looked at her with their pure golden eyes. Would they laugh at her when she said that she had forgotten? Would they look away in shame when she said that there were too many to count? There was no way of knowing. She didn’t have her father's gift. She couldn’t just touch someone and read their thoughts. So, Bella took a leap of faith.

"Too many." She uttered the words quietly. They were a whisper and the two blondes strained themselves to hear it, but they still heard her answer. Jasper and Rosalie both put a hand on Bella's shoulder and looked at her; not with pity, but with understanding and kindness.

"When you're ready to talk Bella, we're here; all of us are."

She was thankful for that answer. There was no prying the information of her past out of her, no digging for answers; just kind and calm people that she now knew that she could talk to. It was a nice feeling. This family was something else.

When the trio arrived back home, Rosalie had told Emmett about the princess's self-control when it came to feeding. This in turn led to a slew of questions. Left and right the rest of the family that hadn't accompanied her were shocked to find out how she fed. If Bella could blush, this would now indeed be the time. Many questions were asked about her home life back in the Volturi compound. The Cullen's and their mates knew of the royals and their gifts, but it was a whole other thing to spend more than a day or two with one.

With Bella being the newest member of the Volturi guard and family, it was hard to answer all of the questions they posed for her. Felix looked to his little sister and smiled, thinking that he'd never seen her so overwhelmed before. It was true that he, Jane, and Alec were also part of the same coven, but the three had met the Cullen's on many occasion. Bella was the newbie of the group. Now it was her turn to suffer the wrath of the Cullen's question and answer session.

Bella smiled nervously as she retold her story about joining the coven; about how she had been basically kidnapped by the three that sat with them now. Felix and Alec all looked a bit sheepish at the answer their sister had given the family, but Jane seemed rather proud of the fact. She explained how her gift as a shield was one of the reasons why she was able to join the guard and Edward spoke up then.

"That's why I couldn’t read you before." He was surprised at Bella being a shield, but even with all of his years of being a vampire, there were still things that the bronze haired telepath didn't know.

Bella smiled and tapped her temple before continuing her story. She told them how she had trained with the best that the world had to offer. Her and Felix would sometimes train from sun up to sun down. There was no reason for it sometimes, but it was good to keep your skills at the ready.

Alice watched on the edge of her seat as Bella's voice rang out through the household. She was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. The pixie vampire had seen the Volturi princess in many of her visions, but there was something familiar about her as well. She couldn’t put her finger on it but there was a voice nagging her in the back of her mind that wanted to know more about the newest member of the royal family.

Bella's copper eyes met Alice's and she would've blushed for being caught staring if she could.

"So, do you remember your human life? Or the time from before you joined our illustrious royal family?" Her music like voice cut through the calm setting before her.

The princess froze then, her eyes widened and she couldn’t breathe for a moment. She knew in her mind that she had been a monster before she had joined the Volturi. She massacred small towns and farms, and even sometimes larger cities in her need for human blood. Bella didn’t want to talk about that time in her life. She didn’t want to talk about her human life either. That was a whole other can of worms that she didn’t want to reopen anymore than it already had been.

She shook her head from side to side.

"The only good memories I have of being a vampire is when I met my family and my human life is not the happiest tale." Bella put her wrists on her knees as she leaned down, contemplating what else she could say to change the subject.

Alice frowned at the answer but let it slide for now. Carlisle, who was beside her wrapped her up in a side half-hug.

"Alice doesn’t remember her human life. It's her most popular question upon meeting new vampires."

Bella looked deep into Alice's copper eyes then and looked for anything that might prove differently. The pixie just smiled sadly and nodded her head.

"I'm sorry." She spoke up.

Alice got up from her spot on the couch and began to walk to the staircase that led to her room.

"It's alright. I'd like to think that my human life wasn’t all that exciting anyway; that's why my brain doesn’t remember it. We need to get ready for school silly; it's your first day after all." She walked up the stairs then and shut the door behind her.

____________________________________________

Going to school was a nuisance for Bella, Jane, and Alec. They already knew so much from being taught by their father and uncles, but this was what the Cullen's had to go through every year and Aro said to follow the rules and regulations that were placed by the coven. So school was the norm now. The brunette princess got dressed for the day in the hall bathroom. She picked out a rock and roll t-shirt with tight fitting jeans and combat boots. As she went to put her shirt on, Alice barged through the door wondering if she was ready to go yet.

Both girls eyes widened at the state of Bella's undress, and Alice's copper eyes darkened ever so slightly at the sight of the princess's abs, but there was something else that shocked her just as much. The amount of bite marks on her otherwise perfect porcelain skin was atrocious. There were what seemed like hundreds on her arms alone. The girls abdomen was also covered in them. What had happened to Bella before she was turned? What had this girl been through.

Bella knew that Alice was looking at the many scars marring her body. She placed the shirt over her head and that seemed to shake Alice out of whatever thoughts she had been having.

"Um, I'm so sorry for barging in on you. I just wanted to see if you were ready to go."

Looking herself in the mirror, Bella put a hand through her smooth brown hair and put her favorite leather jacket on over her shoulders before nodding her head. She waited for the pixie vampire to turn around and walk out of the bathroom door, but the Cullen stood rooted to the spot.

"I'm sorry for what you had to go through." Alice said solemnly.

"Hey, don’t worry about it. It was a long time ago." Bella had reassured her host.

It looked to her like Alice wanted to cry. So she placed a single shaking hand on her shoulder trying to convey the fact that she was alright. Bella was so scared in touching another being without them initiating the contact first. It was the first time in a long time that she had done so without asking.

"I'm fine, Alice; honestly. There's no need to worry about me." Putting on a happy face, Bella smiled sincerely and wanted Alice to do the same.

She wanted desperately to put a smile back on that perfect face. So she did the only thing that she could do. Bella wrapped her arms around Alice's shoulders and brought her in for a hug. The princess didn’t have to wait long for the smaller arms to wrap around her waist and hold her tightly. For Bella, it seemed like the most natural thing to do. It was like a piece of her clicked in to place for the first time. Taking in the strawberry scent of the Cullen girl, Bella couldn't help but bring her hands up and experimentally thread them in her hair.

Bella began massaging the seer's head, feeling the tension dissipate with each movement of her fingers. Alice sniffled quietly but sighed contently as her body responded to the princess's touch. What a beautiful and kind vampire Bella was. There was nothing that could touch the pair in that moment. They stood there in the doorway for what seemed like forever, and they were fine with that. Bella seemed a little confused but the feeling of being complete and wonderful had overshadowed the confusion in her mind and heart.

Hearing a rushing of footsteps up the staircase, the two girls separated from their hug and turned to leave the small bathroom. Of course the heavy footsteps belonged to none other than Emmett Cullen. It turned out that he had forgot his backpack before leaving home. He raced up to get it and found his sister and the young Volturi come out of the bathroom at the same time.

Making eye contact with Alice, the big oaf wiggled his eyebrows and smiled. The pixie punched him in the shoulder and walked down the stairs before Bella followed her. Rubbing his now sore shoulder, Emmett went into his room and found the parcel he was looking for.

The large group of vampires, the Cullen's and the Volturi, made their way to the garage and set up their rides for that day. Alec and Jane rode with Emmett and Rosalie in his large Jeep Wrangler. Edward, Jasper and Eloise rode in the four door Volvo sedan, but before the blonde empath got into the back seat, he said to Bella.

"If you want, you can take my bike."

Bella looked to the side of the large room and found a Ducati 848 just waiting there for her. She smiled at Jasper and he fist bumped her before sitting down on the plush leather seat.

Once the cars all moved out of the garage, Bella walked over to the motorcycle. As she heaved a leg over the seat, she looked over to Alice and held out a hand.

"C'mon." Bella uttered and a genuine smile made it's way onto Alice's perfect face.

She walked over and placed her hand in Bella's and as she situated herself behind the princess, Bella placed one of the two helmets provided over her head. Alice followed suit and before long, the two girls raced off, ready to face the day.

________________________________________________

When the pair arrived to school that day, Bella felt eyes of every shape and size on her. Apparently no one had ever rode a motorcycle to school before. That didn’t seem to be the case however for when she pulled the helmet over her head after they parked, there were surprised gasps echoing in her ears. Bella tensed up at being watched, but after Alice removed her own protective covering, she placed a hand on her shoulder. It calmed Bella instantly. She could feel all worry and strife leave her body at once.

Turning to look at her host, Bella watched as Alice's eyes darkened to a murky shade of amber.

"I'm right here with you, Bella." She said to the brunette.

The girl nodded and held out a hand to help Alice off of her seat. Opening the compartment in the leather cushion below them, Bella and Alice each got their bags for the day and walked up to the school. The teen wasn’t sure what to do with her hands as they began to fidget, but the girl beside her had an answer as she grasped Bella's hand and wove their fingers together. Bella smiled sweetly and placed a strand of hair behind her ear. She held on to the strap of her rucksack and the two vampires walked in to the school together hand in hand.

Inside the main building, was the office where Bella was to get her schedule for the year. She introduced herself as Isabella Volturi and she was new at the school. The small portly woman who gave her the sheet of paper, seemed unfazed by Bella's beauty. It was comforting for her to know that not every human was affected by the vampire's natural abilities. Her siblings found her moments later and rushed up to her, jarring Alice's hand from her hold.

"Let's see, let's see. What classes do you have?" Jane yelped as she looked over Bella's pink sheet of paper.

Slightly perturbed by Jane's actions, she handed the tiny blonde the paper and golden eyes skimmed over classes and teacher's names. Jane aha'd and said that she and Bella would have math together. It was the last class of the day and Bella couldn’t be more thankful. She had biology with Edward and Alec, and Gym class with Emmett and Jasper. Bella and Rosalie didn’t share a class, but Alice and Bella did have art together. It was right before lunch and the two smiled at one another, knowing that they could spend time alone together in class.

Alice walked Bella to her first class of the day, which was English and at first, Bella didn’t want her to leave. It wasn't until the warning bell, that the new kid let go of the pixie's hand.

"I'll be here after class." The Cullen stated before she walked away. Skin smoothed over skin as their hand's let go of one another. Bella reached out for the retreating form of Alice Cullen and couldn’t help the feeling of loss that came over her just then.

She made up her mind to call her father that night and ask what was happening to her. What were the thoughts and feelings ravaging her body? As the last bell sounded over the intercom, Bella walked in to the classroom that awaited her. A tiny woman was at her desk and leaning over it as she looked over the student bodies that now populated the seats. Bella got her attention and introduced herself.

Looking over the room, Bella found the eyes of several teen's that either wanted to fuck her or wanted to be her. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

 _'This is gonna be a long year.'_ Bella thought before going to the only empty desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like in canon, Alice doesn't remember her human life in this story. The interactions between Bella and Alice is very tense right now only because I want to focus more on the plot of this story rather than the romance of it, but there will be romance in this story and in other stories I have in mind for this fandom.


	7. Chapter 7

Bella, Emmett and Jasper gathered together in the gymnasium after the were done changing into their workout clothes. Sure vampires didn’t sweat, but they needed to keep up appearances. The three teens watched as the boys and girls filtered out of their perspective locker rooms and the teacher, or coach, exited her office. The stout woman had the whistle around her neck and after a few minutes of mindless chatter from most of the student body in attendance, she blew into the tiny metal object. 

Having everyone's attention, she stated that they would be playing some volleyball today. Bella seemed to realize that the woman didn’t care that she was new to the school and didn’t make a big issue about her arrival. Her smirk widened as she didn’t have to go through an embarrassing introduction like all of the other classes she had been in. 

During the huddle with the class, Bella looked across from her and saw a dirty blonde boy looking at her. Her golden eyes caught his blue and he smiled at her before winking. Bella gagged and looked away from him after that. Emmett and Jasper saw the exchange and chuckled at her expense. 

"Who's the jock?" Bella asked.

Emmett took the lead on this one.

"That's Forks' very own Golden Boy, Mike Newton." 

The princess chanced another look in his direction and found that to be so wrong of her. He had the audacity to pucker his lips as if to kiss her, then licked his lips in a derogatory way. Bella growled deeply in her throat and she could feel her eyes dilating with rage. 

Once again the coach blew the whistle when the side conversation got to be too much. 

"Okay; Cullen, Newton, you two are going to be team captains." Emmett and Mike both stepped toward the bleachers and began to call out names. 

Thankfully, Bella was the first one to be called on Emmett's team. She walked over to him and gave him a high five before putting her hands in her short pockets. Mike's first pick was a boy named Tyler Crowley. He had dark skin and a tall body, and it seemed that the two were good friends as they did a secret handshake before Emmett called his next teammate. 

Calling Jasper over, the blonde had his head down and his hands in his sweatpants pockets. They three of them alone could crush any team that they would come across. Once the teams were even, Emmett's and Mike's teams went to their side of the volleyball net. 

The jock's team was the first to serve, but they didn’t stand a chance as Emmett hopped up and spiked the ball down onto the floor. He made sure not to use all of his strength, because if he had, the ball would put a huge dent in the floor. The next serve, went to Jasper. He set it upward and Bella was the next one to score a point for their team. The girl remembered a time when she thought that playing any kind of sport would be impossible for her.

In her human life, she had been clumsy and uncoordinated. Bella would fall over herself just by walking two steps; but that was not the case anymore. Golden eyes filled with laughter as she and her team beat Mike's into the proverbial dirt. The blonde boy was not happy about the situation; not one bit. 

The game went on until five minutes before the bell had rung. Emmett's team came out the victor and hit the showers while Mike and his team ran a few laps around the gym. Bella and the other boys laughed at their misfortune and it served them right for being such perverts. As she went into the girls locker-room to change back into her normal clothes, she could feel the eyes of others on her. 

Stripping her shirt first, Bella heard some girls gasp at the sight of her toned stomach. Her abs were defined and Bella knew that she looked good. She smiled and let out a silent chuckle before flexing her muscles ever so slightly. Putting on a show stoked her ego just a tad. Putting on the rock shirt that she had picked out for the day, Bella turned her attention to her bottoms. The shorts she was wearing showed off most of her creamy pale skin. It was true that they left little to the imagination. When she bent over to remove them fully, Bella heard a girl whisper.

"That should be illegal." 

Dressing back into her original outfit for the day, Bella took her backpack and threw it over her shoulder before walking out of the locker room. Emmett and Jasper were waiting for her and were smiling crookedly at the antics of the hormonal teenage girls. 

"You seem to be the topic of many a conversation, Bella." 

Jasper said as Emmett laughed. If the brunette could blush, she would; but of course she just brushed off the comment and punched the burly vampire in the arm before walking out of the gymnasium. As the door had shut with a loud click, Bella's golden eyes widened to see Alice standing there with a murderous look in her warm caramel eyes. The once matching bright gold was growing darker and darker. Alice seemed to be seething and it made the Volturi wonder what had happened. 

"Alice? You okay?" Bella asked quietly to not earn the pixie's ire. 

Snapping to attention, Alice blinked her eyes and breathed calmly through her nose and out of her mouth. Tilting her head up to look into the melting amber color of the princess's eyes, it was hard to not swoon at the concern there. 

"I'm fine Bella." She tried to say sweetly, but it got grated from the anger she was feeling earlier. 

As Alice tried to walk away to escort Bella to her next class, the brunette put her hand on her wrist to gain her attention again. 

"You're clearly not fine, Tink. What's wrong?" Lacing her voice with concern and question, the other vampire pulled her back in to answer the question. 

Alice took a moment to think on how she should respond. She didn’t want to alarm Bella with her jealousy; didn’t want to reveal the information she had so quickly. The seer wanted her princess to figure it out on her own. Alice put on her best smile and held out her hand for Bella to take. 

"C'mon silly. I don’t want you to be late for your next class." 

Alice briefly sighed in relief when the Volturi didn’t press the issue and took her hand in her own. The feeling of the skin touching skin was nothing new, Alice held hands with all of her family members. The feeling of the skin of your mate against your own however, was something different entirely. 

It was indeed true that Isabella Marie Volturi was her mate. Alice had seen it in several visions, but there was a certain artform to obtaining such a gift. The pixie vampire had to tread carefully, especially since it seemed that Bella had no knowledge of such connections. It was unclear what the princess was feeling however. With her mental shield in place almost all of the time, Edward couldn’t read her thoughts; Jasper was lucky that he could read her emotions at all. Alice would have to talk more about them tonight when they hunted together. 

It didn’t take long for the two girls to meet up with the shorter of the Volturi children. Most high schoolers looked at the tiny vampire and wondered if she was even old enough to go to this school. Jane was just leaning against the wall near the doorway to the classroom, reading a book as Alice and her sister strutted up to them. The blonde girl smiled at the sight of her sister with the graceful Cullen. It was good for Bella to find a certain kinship with other vampires other than their family. 

Once the princess's were gathered together, Alice let go of Bella's hand and greeted Jane with a nod of her head. 

"Hey Jane." She said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

"Hey Ali." Jane greeted back. 

The three girls got to talking about their previous class and Bella swelled with pride as she told the other two about beating the jocks team to a pulp in volleyball. She remembered the feeling of kinship as she, Emmett and Jasper worked together to defeat Newton and teaching him a sense of humility. Jane watched as well as listened to her sister's story but her golden eyes also turned to Alice for a brief moment. A moment was all it took it seemed, to see the love flowing through the young Cullen. The blonde would have to tuck this information away for a while and think on Alice and Bella's interactions with one another. 

The bell to signify class had rung loudly through the halls and Alice jumped at the shrill sound of it. She turned her eyes to Bella's and said goodbye before telling her that she would see her soon. As the pixie walked away, Bella never took her eyes off of her. She took in how Alice moved with each and every step she took; she listened to the sounds of her unneeded breathing. It was like a cadence that she could march towards. 

Bella thought about what she was feeling now. How her heart seemed to jump at the sights and sounds of Alice Cullen. Even though the organ stopped beating many years ago, it seemed that for this seer, it sounded once more in her ears. It was as if Alice was the gravity that kept her so tied to this earth. At the thought, Bella decided that she would call her family when she arrived back at the Cullen residence later that evening. 

Hopefully the elder vampires of her family would know the reason for what she was feeling. Aro would surely have the answers to her questions.   
_________________________

Lunch came quickly and Bella got a tray of food to show the other students that she was just as normal as them. The human teens all watched her walk with one hand on a strap of her backpack and the other hand on clasping the edge of her lunch tray. Her copper eyes remained forward but her ears caught every word that was whispered about her. 

Some students were curious about her and her siblings, while some seemed jealous, others were lustful and downright gross. There was always the one human who was just way too outspoken about such matters. Tact was not their forte that was certain. Bella made her way across the cafeteria floor until a pair of girls stepped in front of her. One was a brunette and one was a blonde; both seemed to be on the cheerleading squad with their peppy attitude. 

"Hey there, I'm Jessica Stanley." The brunette spoke with a smile on her face. 

The blonde was looking at her nails, inspecting them for any dirt. Without finding anything amiss, she looked up and smiled forcefully. 

"I'm Lauren Mallory." 

After the introductions, Jessica proceeded to tell her all about the extra curriculars here at Forks High. Home of the Spartans as it were. Of course she didn’t want to partake in anything that may draw attention to herself, but what could the harm be in listening to what they had to say. 

Minutes ticked by and the mere mention of cheerleading made Bella feel weird inside; like she might hurl or something. There was no way that she would ever join such a popularity seeking team. It was just nonsense. Looking over to where the Cullen's and the rest of her siblings were sitting, her golden eyes sought out any kind of help. All of the vampires present at the table were either trying to contain their laughter, or just trying not to pay attention at all to the situation. 

Both Edward and Jasper seemed to be in distress. The Volturi princess was wondering what thoughts and feelings they were reading not. A huge room filled to the brim with adolescent teens, it didn’t seem good. 

"Listen, Jessica, was it?" 

The girl in question nodded eagerly at Bella's voice. 

"I'm gonna need some time to think about what I might do this year. It's my first day and all; but I really appreciate you looking out for me."

Bella let go of the strap of her backpack and placed a cold hand on the human's shoulder. If Jessica felt a difference in temperature, she didn’t say so. There was a misty-eyed look in the brown eyes before her. Almost a longing look. It was time to join the others now.

She sidestepped the two girls and went over to the Cullen table. It seemed like Jane and Alec also made themselves a place there. Jane was seated next to Alec, who took his place next to Emmett. The only chair available at the table was next to none-other, Alice. Bella smiled inside and took the satchel off of her shoulder. Letting it fall to the tile floor, she sat down in the cold hard chair beneath her. 

With a low tone, Alice whispered. 

"It seems like you and your siblings are the talk of the whole school." 

Bella shivered at feeling the warm breath in her ear. Jane's eyes met her own and the tiny blonde couldn’t help but giggle. The look that she sent her sister was one that looked ready to kill. After that, lunch went by fairly uneventful. At some point Bella unwrapped her plastic utensils and began poking at whatever cafeteria food the human world had to offer. 

Some light conversation went around the table, but soon the thoughts of every human teenager became too much for Edward. He growled low in his throat and leaned forward toward the rest of the group. 

"Gods, humans are disgusting creatures. Their thoughts are just…ugh!" He weaved a hand through his messed up brown hair. 

Jasper knew how his brother felt and patted him lightly on the back. The feelings that the empath was picking up weren't G-rated either. Most of the boys and even a large handful of girls often looked longingly at the Cullen's themselves when they entered the large café, but now that the Volturi were here, it was all brand new to these people. 

It was almost like a child receiving a shiny new toy for Christmas-only on a larger, more hormonal scale. Thankfully there was only a few more minutes of the lunch period, so they could all go about their lives soon enough. 

Bella looked at Edward apologetically. Her golden eyes trying to convey how sorry she was that the boy had such a cursed ability. Telepathy was no joke to vampires. There were a few with the gift to read ones' thoughts, but never had the princess seen such a person be at the mercy of their ability. She wished that there was some way to help him, but sadly it wasn’t her place to tell another coven member how to feel or act. However, maybe she could talk to her father about such matters. There had to be a way to quiet to lingering thoughts in Edward's mind. There had to be some way to block such nuisances; or at least quiet them. 

That would surely be a part of Bella's conversation with her father this evening.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two Chapters in one week?! What the hyeck?!

That night, Bella hunted with Jane and Alec. It had been a while since the siblings had done anything together outside of training and learning. Bella was glad to hunt with them, if only for a few moments. Since their aunt Didyme had trained them in the art of feeding, the children didn’t need as much blood as they thought they did. Once they fed off of several animals and let them go afterwards, the three children sat comfortably on a fallen log. It was in a small clearing, so when they looked up at the night sky they could see many twinkling stars. 

They were so bright. It was delightfully quiet and Bella just breathed in the night air. It's crisp coolness wafted over her like a blanket. There was a certain scent to the fall season that she had missed while she was in Italy. Bella loved her family home, but the weather was stagnant; always remaining the same bright sunny days, with very few rainy ones in between. Here in the northern part of America, the weather was always changing. The exact opposite of where she lived with the Volturi coven. It was hard to describe, but just the feeling and the smell of fall seemed to calm her in the best way possible. 

"So, how was the rest of your day?" Alec's voice echoed through the silent fog. 

Bella remembered that she did have that one Biology class with her brother and Edward. It was nice to be able to spend time with Alec, but Edward seemed to try and read her mind way too many times. It was if he had never met a shield before. There were moments when the telepath made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but Bella understood his frustration. Telepathy wasn’t a gift you could just turn off like a switch. The poor boy heard so many thoughts so many times a day. When there is a person you can't read, you're pleasantly surprised at first-it's like a little reprieve for your own mind-but when you're actively trying to use your gift on a shield, it's like they're not even there. 

Going throughout the events of the day, Bella got caught up in art class. She had it with Alice and the young Cullen girl was certainly gifted. Since Bella had been the new girl, the teacher decided that it was a free day to do whatever the students wished. Alice immediately went to her canvas and began to draw. The princess followed but once she turned her golden eyes to what the pixie was drawing, Alice turned the drawing board away. 

"No one gets to peek." She had said to her. 

Bella smiled weakly at the display and went to her own area to do her own drawing. She wondered briefly what she would draw, but after only a few moments she had her eureka moment. Being coy about looking over at Alice in her full concentration mode, Bella drew out the pixie's beautiful smiling face. The brunette drew out every detail; how Alice's eyes scrunched up, the way that her lips curled, the brightness of her teeth. A full smile from Alice Cullen was a gift; worth more than any gold or jewels that Bella could think of. 

Once a little bit of shading was finished, Bella was too. She took a look at the masterpiece in front of her and tore the large sheet of paper from the pad itself. Looking at her work, Bella took in all of the lines from her pencil. The charcoal sat there like an imprint; almost like a burn among the thin papyrus. For a moment, Bella wondered once again what Alice was working on, but she respected the pixie's wishes not to have anyone peek at what she was working on. The Cullen was still in front of her canvas, large strokes from a pencil or paintbrush or pastels made their way across the material. 

"She's so beautiful." Bella had thought to herself. 

She brought her mind back to the present and she looked once again at the sky. Finding all of the bright stars above her, it was a solace for her chaotic thoughts. Jane's voice filtered through her ears, her sing song musical voice echoed with a question.

"So, are you going to talk to her or what?" 

Bella, who had been leaned back, the palms of her hands biting into the bark, sat up straight and looked at her sister all confused. 

"Talk to who about what?"

The tiny blonde sighed and walked in front of Bella to look straight into her honey eyes. 

"How are you so dense?"

"What are you talking about?!" 

Bella was starting to get really annoyed about the whole ordeal. Jane had been on her case since they had arrived at the Cullen residence. Always looking at her strangely, talking to Alec and Felix about her behind her back. What was really going on? Her former rage was starting to form again and it wasn’t a good thing. 

Noting the anger in her sister's voice, Jane relaxed her body and sighed. 

"Alice, you silly person. You have to talk to her." 

At the mention of the seers name, Bella's ears perked up and all of her tension ebbed away. It was as if a warm blanket was placed over her cold body. Vampires couldn’t feel the change in temperature but there was a warmth in her heart that was comforting when she thought about Alice. When she heard her name or looked into her eyes. 

"You have feelings for the daughter of our host, princess." Alec finally put his voice of reason into the conversation. 

Thinking about it, this simple fact was right on the mark. The question was, what was she going to do about it. The first thing that came to mind was that she had to talk to her father about an epiphany such as this. Bella needed his guidance on such an ordeal. Did she need to be alone with her thoughts? Did she need to figure out a way to court Alice? Were there courting rituals in this day and age? This whole thing of mating was foreign to her, let alone mating with another woman. 

Bella brought her knees close to her chest and held them tightly. Leaning the side of her face down on the joint of her legs, her long brown hair flowed down along her calves. All of her life, mortal and otherwise, she had never felt any sort of emotion for any other individual. Nothing but the love for a family member that is; but Alice Cullen did something to her. It was odd to say the least, but not in a frightening way. Her golden eyes went over to her brother and sister and she asked.

"Have either of you felt this way before?"

Both Jane and Alec shook their heads. Even they hadn't found their mates. With all of their time on this earth, they and Felix had yet to find such a connection with someone. Demetri found his mate in Heather. Aro had Sulpicia, Marcus had Didyme, and Caius had Athenadora. Their father and mother, aunts and uncles, all found love. They describe it as an experience that is different for each vampire. Athenadora was not particularly fond of Caius at first. His aggressive nature was a little off putting for her, but with time and some courting from her uncle's end, they were a great pair in the end. 

For Aro and Sulpicia, and Marcus and Didyme, it seemed to be love at first sight. That did not meant that there weren't hardship in their relationship. The war with the Romanian coven took its toll on everyone in the family. It had taken family members, children, parents, makers, friends. It was all a lot to bare. Aro had often taken the bulk of the blame for anything that happened close to Volterra. 

Sulpicia would often try to comfort him, but the elder sometimes needed to be alone with his thoughts. His wife knew when to read the signs. That was often what led to a great match. When someone knew what you needed, knew what you wanted before you even spoke, it was like their souls were speaking to one another without words, thoughts, or gestures. 

"I need to take a walk." Bella said before abruptly getting up from her spot on the log. 

The Witch twins watched her walk off into the trees before heading back to the Cullen house.  
________________________________

The brunette vampire liked to hike by herself sometimes. Just listening to the air around her, taking in every scent and sound comforted her greatly. With each unneeded breath came a realization that she needed to talk to someone; anyone. Feeling her phone in her back pocket, she took it out and found her father's number. She needed to talk to him; to hear his voice, needed to see his kind face. 

Pushing the camera icon under his contact information, Bella waited for an answer. It came a few minutes later, but she only heard his voice. Aro's face was no where to be seen. 

"My Bella." He said speaking into the phone. 

The teen laughed as her parent was still unable to use the camera on his phone. Just like any father that might have trouble with technology, Aro needed his wife to show him the ropes. 

"Dad? Dad turn your camera on." Bella laughed as she could hear her father struggling with the equipment.

"Sulpicia, darling, can you help me with this confounded thing?" 

Rushing footsteps came closer and the brunette knew that her mother was now coming to assist. 

"Honestly Aro, your age is showing my dear." Sulpicia said fondly before taking the mobile device. 

"It's the little camera icon near the base of your phone." There was a brief pause before she heard her mother shout.

"Don’t hang up on the poor girl!" 

This caused a fully belly laugh erupt from Bella. Honestly, her parents were just like any other. Even though they weren't human, even though they never aged, they were just like everyone else. It took mere moments for Aro to figure out what to do to get the camera working and when Bella came on the screen, he saw her face in a wide, laughing grin.

"It's so good to see your face, dear." Aro called out. 

She perked up immediately seeing her dad's face. She couldn’t help but feel a little homesick and if she were human, she'd most likely be crying right now. 

"It's good to see you too Dad."

"Hey, we're all here too Bella." Her uncle Marcus called out. 

All of the adult vampires huddled around the phone hoping to catch a glimpse of their precious one. Bella still had so much to learn when it came to being a vampire, but she was a brilliant student and a quick learner. Hopefully any one of her family members could provide some insight on her current, more personal lesson. 

Caius, Athenadora, and Didyme all cramped together with Aro and Sulpicia was quite hilarious to say the least, but seeing her family brought Bella such joy. It made her wonder how she got so lucky in her immortal life when her human one was such shit. 

"I think I may have a problem." She started saying.

Some of her family members jumped up and asked what type of problem she had there in Forks. Athenadora even threatened some human lives over the slight and Caius one hundred percent backed his mate up against any bullies that might plague his nieces and nephew.

Upon hearing such words come out of her aunt and uncles' mouths, she held up one hand in surrender. 

"No, no; not that kind of problem." Bella rubbed the back of her neck. Her long brown hair ghosted over the backs of her fingers. Little wisps of a touch. 

"What is it darling?" Didyme spoke up.

"I wish you could come and help make me feel better about this whole thing Aunt Deedee." Pausing for another moment, she took a deep unneeded breath and released it.

"I'm having girl problems." 

At this point, all of the men made themselves scarce, thinking that it had something to do with the woman body. That was not the case at all. 

"What kind of girl problems?" Athenadora asked.

"I think - I think I have a crush on a girl." Bella finally uttered the words and honestly it made her feel a bit better. Sure the weight of the words were still heavy upon her shoulders, but now that it was out in the open, her family could help her understand what was going on.

The princess explained all of the emotions she was feeling and who they had been for. Alice Cullen was the object of her affections as the saying went. Her mother and aunts couldn’t be happier for Bella now that she had hopefully found her mate. She talked about how beautiful Alice looked in the sunlight, and how her voice echoed in her ears long after they went their separate ways at school. She stated how it seemed as if her heart had once again found out how to beat. It was terrifying.

Sulpicia looked at her daughter with love and wonder. Talking about the finding of one's mate made the lady of the house made her relive the moment that she realized her and Aro were meant to be together. Didyme and Athenadora were no doubt feeling the same way, judging by the wistful look in their golden eyes. 

"The little pixie would be lucky to have you, Bella." Sulpicia began.

"You are a beautiful young woman, with so much love to offer someone." 

"With everything that you've been through in the past, you deserve a bit of happiness." Didyme spoke.

"I'm happy at home with my family, Auntie. That much is true."

"Oh come now Isabella." Athenadora put her two cents in.

"Surely you've thought about spending time away from here before." 

Bella shook her head adamantly but the three women on her phone screen saw straight through her. It was true that during some nights, Bella and her siblings would head to Rome and take a peek at the bustling nightlife. Women and men all dressed up, going into dance clubs. Having their fill of both food and wine. She remembered such a time when a beautiful brunette came up to her and asked her to dance in the loud and crowded night club. Bella could smell the alcohol on the young woman's breath but it did not take away from her beauty. The princess wanted to dance but the scent of the blood coursing in that human's veins, the sound of her erratic heartbeat, was enough to send any vampire with full control down a path that they would never come back from.

"I have thought about women before. They're just so soft and beautiful, it's hard not to think about." Bella's mouth began to water at the thought of kissing another girl or even more, but that was not for her family to know. TMI would be an understatement. 

"The problem is that you have no idea how to court little Alice. Is that right?" Aro spoke up from across the room. 

Bella nodded and sat down on the forest floor. She set her phone down next to her and rubbed her face with her cold hands. It was frustrating to say the least. What if her advances with Alice didn't produce any kind of relationship? What if they were unwanted? What if the pixie would hate her? Those and so many other questions ran through Bella's mind. 

An unwanted sob released itself from her throat. 

"Oh Bella." Aro said taking the mobile phone from his mate.

He desperately wanted to be there for his daughter. He wanted to hug her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. When the lord looked to his wife, his brothers, and sisters, it was clear that they wished the same. 

"I know how you feel, little one. I had the same thoughts and fears when I was courting your mother." Aro admitted. Sulpicia just rubbed the length of his arm in a comforting motion. 

"No way." Bella said not believing a word.

Didyme laughed as she remembered Aro's courtship toward her sister in law. 

"Believe it or not, darling; your father had such doubts and fears." 

Going over the first time he met the fair haired young woman, Didyme recounted when her brother left to go and fight in the first crusade. It was an awful time for them. Aro had been away for many months on end. He would come home every now and again thanks to his superior speed, even then. The two blood siblings would talk about so many things while the - then human - Sulpicia slept soundly. 

Aro was often afraid of what would happen if he had lost control of his thirst. What would happen if his mate had found another when he was away? What would happen if he had never returned to his family? So many questions, so many doubts, so many fears. Bella listened to her aunt with rapt attention. It seemed as if Aro was telling the truth after all. 

If he could get through such a difficult time with his mate being a human, then the princess could at least give herself a shot with her mate as well. Hey at least Alice was already a vampire. That was already one less thing Bella herself had to worry about. 

Then again, the Volturi were there for a reason. To find out what vampire was responsible for the disappearances of so many humans. Bella had to find out if it was her makers who were responsible. If it was them, she would make sure their end was a swift and painful one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing soft, sensitive, dad Aro. It's one of my vices. I hope ya'll like the family dynamic I'm try to portray here. In the next few chapters we'll catch a glimpse of another teen disappearance but also see what other creatures might be close by. Shifters perhaps??? And maybe I'll throw in some time with Alice/Bella and Bella/Esme. Stay tuned.


End file.
